Major Assignment - Portrait 3.

Portrait 3 - Creative Editorial Portrait.

Since moving to Canberra i have discovered an old friend and work mate of mine also now lives in Canberra. He used to model and i can remember him saying to me he would like to bulk up more. Well since then he has certainly been on a journey of just that. He is now a qualified personal trainer and competes in body building competitions.

Bodybuilders normally carry quite a chip on their shoulders right, but Alex has maintained the nice guy that i used to know and is actually a pretty fun guy to be around.

It has taken Alex a good 10 years to get where he is today, and he has done it all naturally. I would like my photograph to try represent his story of how being disciplined and determined will allow you to reach your goals.

The following photographs consist of conceptual ideas on how i would like to light and pose Alex. It also gives me inspiration on how to build a scene for this shoot, what props to use and how to frame it all etc.

I have questioned Alex on whether he is willing and able to participate in this photo-shoot and the answer is yes, which is fantastic, so i will continue to liaise with him on ways to make it work and a day and time to get it done.

Photographer unknown.
A sample of Alex's progression.

The following images are examples what i would like to try.

D.

Photographer unknown.
Lighting works nicely and there is interaction between
subject and prop - could this help my idea..

Porfyri Photography.
The lighting used here is pretty cool.

Photographer unknown.
I like the positioning and lighting on this subject. It
helps to define the figure well and separates the
subject from the background nicely.

Photographer unknown.
I added this image in to consider whether bringing my
subject down to some gym equipment would work.

Photographer unknown.
I like the colour cast in this photograph and the pose
of the subject. Perhaps i'll need a smoke machine :)

Photographer unknown.
I like how the background in this photograph helps
tell who the subject is and what they do. I also like
the leading lines the background creates. This is a
nice, smart image all up.

Photographer unknown.
Again just another example of how
positioning the light source up high
helps to create strong contrast light
over the male figure to help define
muscle tone etc.

Photographer unknown.
Added this as an example of how
to fill the frame in a simple way
with only simple props. The angle
of view works well here too.

Andy Anderson - some amazing work!
Almost exactly what i visualised in my head before
doing any online research.

Andy Anderson.
Not sure i will take this approach, but it is still too good
of an image not to include in this blog.

Andy Anderson.
I added this image more for ideas on the overall scene
and a few simple props and good positioning of all the
elements can result in a good photograph.

Photographer unknown.
Again, another example of appropriate lighting.

Photographer unknown.
Perhaps a side-cast light source
could be implemented some how.

Photographer unknown.
Ideas on simple props - repeating a few disc weights.
Not sure how i could tie it in, but worth blogging as it
might come to me later.

Photographer unknown.
I like the mood of this image and angle of view. I look
at this and wonder whether i could incorporate Alex in
the background using the bar-bell to direct the viewers
eye towards the subject. Would also look nice as a
two page spread i reckon :)